]]>The spiritual leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims speaks about poverty, peace, philanthropy, and religious understanding; a chart-topping album conveys the music that is central to Benedictine monastic life.

]]>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/31/july-31-2015-aga-khan-singing-monks-nursia/26616/feed/0The spiritual leader of the world's Ismaili Muslims speaks about poverty, peace, philanthropy, and religious understanding; a chart-topping album conveys the music that is central to Benedictine monastic life.The spiritual leader of the world's Ismaili Muslims speaks about poverty, peace, philanthropy, and religious understanding; a chart-topping album conveys the music that is central to Benedictine monastic life.Religion & Ethics NewsWeeklyno26:49 The Aga Khanhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/31/aga-khan-ismaili-muslims/26534/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/31/aga-khan-ismaili-muslims/26534/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 17:52:21 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/?p=26534More →

]]>Around the world there are approximately 15 million Ismaili Muslims, who belong to the Shia branch of Islam. Their spiritual leader is the Aga Khan, who traces his ancestors directly back to the Prophet Muhammad. A wealthy philanthropist, he has made it his mission, based on his faith, to fight poverty, encourage peace, and promote religious understanding. We spoke with him in Toronto, where the Aga Khan Museum, the first art museum in North America devoted to Islamic art and culture, recently opened to the public.

]]>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/31/aga-khan-ismaili-muslims/26534/feed/0Aga Khan,Islam,Ismaili Muslims,Prophet Muhammad,Shia,Shia Sunni Conflict,social justice"Islam believes fundamentally that the spiritual and material worlds are inextricably connected. Faith is a force that should deepen our concern for our worldly habitat, for embracing its challenges, and for improving the quality of human life.""Islam believes fundamentally that the spiritual and material worlds are inextricably connected. Faith is a force that should deepen our concern for our worldly habitat, for embracing its challenges, and for improving the quality of human life."Religion & Ethics NewsWeeklyno10:28 Aga Khan Extended Interviewhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/31/july-31-2015-aga-khan-extended-interview/26633/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/31/july-31-2015-aga-khan-extended-interview/26633/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 17:30:07 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/?p=26633More →

]]>“We used to have situations, particularly in isolated parts of the world, high mountain areas, where different communities were practicing a different form of Islam from one village to the other. What we want to do is to have those villages work together. Accept that there are different interpretations.” Watch more of our interview with the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims.

]]>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/31/july-31-2015-aga-khan-extended-interview/26633/feed/0"We used to have situations, particularly in isolated parts of the world, high mountain areas, where different communities were practicing a different form of Islam from one village to the other. What we want to do is to have those villages work togeth..."We used to have situations, particularly in isolated parts of the world, high mountain areas, where different communities were practicing a different form of Islam from one village to the other. What we want to do is to have those villages work together. Accept that there are different interpretations."Religion & Ethics NewsWeeklyno4:20 The Singing Monks of Norciahttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/31/singing-monks-of-norcia/26584/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/31/singing-monks-of-norcia/26584/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 17:00:03 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/?p=26584More →

]]>In the Italian town where St. Benedict was born, Benedictine monks led by Father Cassian Folsom, an American, gather nine times daily to worship God with Gregorian chants and prayer. Their singing has been recorded and is now a chart-topping album, allowing others outside the walls of the monastery to experience the music and devotions of monastic life.

Listen to some of the music from the Monks of Norcia’s album Benedicta.

]]>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/31/singing-monks-of-norcia/26584/feed/0alcohol,Benedictine,chanting,Monastic Life,music,Rule of St. Benedict,St. Benedict"When a monk gives his life to God, he has to express that in a physical way, not just an intellectual way, and singing involves the whole body and the mind and the soul, and so it’s a wonderful way of keeping this relationship between God and the monk,"When a monk gives his life to God, he has to express that in a physical way, not just an intellectual way, and singing involves the whole body and the mind and the soul, and so it’s a wonderful way of keeping this relationship between God and the monk," says Father Cassian, prior of the Benedictine monastic community in Norcia, Italy.Religion & Ethics NewsWeeklyno8:39 Religion in Cuba; Women’s Mosque of America; Upanayanamhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/24/july-24-2015-religion-cuba-womens-mosque-america-upanayanam/26571/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/24/july-24-2015-religion-cuba-womens-mosque-america-upanayanam/26571/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 21:07:47 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/?p=26571More →

]]>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/24/july-24-2015-religion-cuba-womens-mosque-america-upanayanam/26571/feed/0The Cuban government is showing signs of being more open to religious life in Cuba; women lead prayers and preach sermons at a new all-female mosque; and a Hindu boy's rite of passage.The Cuban government is showing signs of being more open to religious life in Cuba; women lead prayers and preach sermons at a new all-female mosque; and a Hindu boy's rite of passage.Religion & Ethics NewsWeeklyno26:49 Religion in Cubahttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/24/july-24-2015-religion-cuba/26538/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/24/july-24-2015-religion-cuba/26538/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 20:47:05 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/?p=26538More →

]]>With the approval of plans to build the first new Catholic church in over 50 years and Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to the country in September, there are signs of increasing openness to religious life in Cuba after 50 years of repressive Communist rule.

]]>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/24/july-24-2015-religion-cuba/26538/feed/0Communism,Cuba,Cuba US Relations,Fidel Castro,Pope Francis,religious freedomWith the approval of plans to build the first new Catholic church in over 50 years and Pope Francis' upcoming visit to the country in September, there are signs of increasing openness to religious life in Cuba after 50 years of repressive Communist rule.With the approval of plans to build the first new Catholic church in over 50 years and Pope Francis' upcoming visit to the country in September, there are signs of increasing openness to religious life in Cuba after 50 years of repressive Communist rule.Religion & Ethics NewsWeeklyno7:10 Women’s Mosque of Americahttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/24/july-24-2015-womens-mosque-america/26554/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/24/july-24-2015-womens-mosque-america/26554/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 19:13:39 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/?p=26554More →

]]>American Muslim women can feel marginalized at worship services in traditional mosques. Only men are allowed to lead the prayers and preach the sermons, and women are usually seated in separate areas. But at the new Women’s Mosque of America, believed to be the first female-only mosque in the U.S., women are in charge, and participants hope to influence the larger Muslim community to be more inclusive.

]]>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/24/july-24-2015-womens-mosque-america/26554/feed/0gender,Islam,mosque,Women"Women have for a long time felt shut out from mosques everywhere. And so instead of trying to argue against whether this women’s mosque should exist or not, they should really be looking at their own communities and wondering how they can make them a ..."Women have for a long time felt shut out from mosques everywhere. And so instead of trying to argue against whether this women’s mosque should exist or not, they should really be looking at their own communities and wondering how they can make them a more welcoming place for everyone," says Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, one of the preachers at the all-female Women's Mosque of America.Religion & Ethics NewsWeeklyno8:57 Upanayanamhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/24/june-13-2014-upanayanam/23338/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/24/june-13-2014-upanayanam/23338/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 13:30:28 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/?p=23338More →

]]>We visited a Hindu religious coming-of-age ceremony for nine-year-old Rushil Ramakrishnan at the Hindu Temple in Adelphi, Maryland. Also known as the “sacred thread” ceremony, it is typically performed for boys between the ages of 8 and 16 and traditionally marks the start of their formal education. Dr. Siva Subramanian, a neonatologist at Georgetown University Hospital and a founder of Sri Siva Vishnu Temple as well as other Hindu associations in the metropolitan Washington, DC area, presided over the two-day ceremony. He explains the meaning and significance of its elaborate rituals and Sanskrit chants.

]]>A madrasa in Pakistan is proving that an Islamic school can offer a useful education while avoiding politics and extremism; members of the Choral Society of Grace Church in New York say singing as a group feeds their souls and creates community; and after a month of fasting, Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan with a three-day festival of food and friendship.

]]>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/17/july-17-2015-pakistan-madrasa-singing-chorus-eid-al-fitr/26506/feed/0A madrasa in Pakistan is proving that an Islamic school can offer a useful education while avoiding politics and extremism; members of the Choral Society of Grace Church in New York say singing as a group feeds their souls and creates community; and af...A madrasa in Pakistan is proving that an Islamic school can offer a useful education while avoiding politics and extremism; members of the Choral Society of Grace Church in New York say singing as a group feeds their souls and creates community; and after a month of fasting, Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan with a three-day festival of food and friendship.Religion & Ethics NewsWeeklyno26:48 A Different Islamic Schoolhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/17/july-17-2015-a-different-pakistan-madrasa/26504/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/17/july-17-2015-a-different-pakistan-madrasa/26504/#commentsFri, 17 Jul 2015 20:00:35 +0000http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/?p=26504More →

]]>In recent years, traditional Islamic seminaries, or madrasas, have come under scrutiny and criticism as incubators of terrorism and extremist interpretations of Islam. Correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro has a report on one school, the Jamia Islamia Clifton madrasa founded 40 years ago in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, that is trying to change that image and broaden the scope of what students are taught.

]]>http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/07/17/july-17-2015-a-different-pakistan-madrasa/26504/feed/0Islam,Islamic extremism,madrasahs,Pakistan,Salafists"There's threat to whatever we do here at Jamia Islamia. But for me, it is a mission," says Mufti Abu Huraira, whose father established the Jamia Islamia Clifton madrasa where students are vetted for any ties to extremist activities and political discu..."There's threat to whatever we do here at Jamia Islamia. But for me, it is a mission," says Mufti Abu Huraira, whose father established the Jamia Islamia Clifton madrasa where students are vetted for any ties to extremist activities and political discussion is forbidden.Religion & Ethics NewsWeeklyno7:02